Promoting Educated Choices

Opening Doors to Higher Education and Career

In our Higher Education Mentoring Program, we provide low-income Latino high school students with the academic, social, and financial support needed to graduate from high school and succeed in college.

Inspiring Kids to Be Socially Responsible

Through free HIV testing, counseling, and referral services, 100% of participating Latinas increase their knowledge on their HIV status and 100% of women served show increased knowledge on their perception of their risk for contracting HIV/AIDS and STIs.

Not only do all of the youth we serve go on to attend college, but 85% of our students proceed straight to four-year universities, while only 21% of Santa Ana students not in our programs qualify for four-year universities.

Recidivism studies show that youth who successfully complete our diversion programs have less than a 7% repeat offense rate within the following year, compared to a rate of over 25% for youth who fail the programs.

Project Youth OCBF (Orange County Bar Foundation) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to keeping at-risk youth in school, healthy and drug-free through education, counseling, mentoring, and family strengthening. The programs of Project Youth OCBF empower youth and families to make positive choices, building the foundation for a lifetime of opportunity and success.

Project Youth has provided thousands of Orange County juveniles and their families with the necessary skills to deter delinquent activity, set goals, and plan for positive, healthy, and productive lives free of crime. Project Youth services include substance abuse prevention, health education, higher education mentoring, and diversion, in both English and Spanish. Numerous programs are specifically designed and implemented to be gender specific and all programs are culturally appropriate and sensitive for the target population.

Empowering Youth

Project Youth has been a leader in the field of juvenile crime diversion and citizenship education for 50 years, consistently achieving positive results in the community.

Annual Highlights

Each year, the Project Youth OCBF Associate Board hosts a Game Day fundraiser to raise funds for the Higher Education Mentoring Program. The event is held at Advanced Depositions' swanky “Settlement Lounge.” In addition, Advanced Depositions is the official Touchdown Sponsor providing fabulous Game Day food and beverages. This year's event featured the showing of NFL playoff games.Fans supported their teams by sporting their team colors while attendees enjoyed playing ping pong, pool and darts.Thanks to Advanced Depositions and all Game Day sponsors, as well as participants who purchased tickets and squares, the event raised almost $9,000 for the Higher Education Mentoring Program. Another highlight of the event was the awarding of three Outstanding Mentor Awards to Alonzo Ledezma, Zaira Zavalza and Cythina Vilchis.

The Honorable David O. Carter – Master of Ceremonies – welcomed guests to Project Youth OCBF’s Annual Meeting and 12th Annual Society of Fellows Recognition Reception on the evening of Thursday, December 13, 2018. He thanked First American Corporation for allowing us to be there to enjoy the beautiful setting. He introduced Parker Kennedy and Garrett Rogers of First American and expressed our gratitude for their loyal support throughout the years and for our relationship with First American, in which we take great pride.

It is with a heavy heart that I write to inform you of the passing of the Honorable Steven L. Perk (Ret.). Judge Perk was the 2016 recipient of the PYOCBF Society of Fellows Distinguished Judicial Fellow Award, and has left an indelible mark on the Orange County legal landscape.

A former quarterback at the University of South Dakota and college football coach, Judge Perk graduated from Pepperdine School of Law in 1980 and worked as a law clerk for Judge Ronald Kreber’s former firm. He served as a Deputy District Attorney in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office for almost 9 years, after which he worked in private practice with his good friend, Cliff Roberts. He returned to the OCDA’s Office for another short stint when in 1995, Gov. Pete Wilson appointed him to the bench. In 2002, Judge Perk was assigned to the General Civil Panel and in 2011, only 9 years later, was appointed Supervising Judge of the General Civil Panel. As Supervising Judge, he simultaneously tackled both a pending financial crisis and an unprecedented backlog of over 2,000 unassigned cases which, under Judge Perk’s leadership, was whittled down to 500 cases in just 2 years. During the court-closure crisis, Judge Perk co-founded the Voluntary Settlement Conference Program (which moved cases to resolution on “dark” days) and adopted policies ensuring litigants answering “ready” for trial would be able to find a courtroom.

Judge Perk served as a judge on the Complex Civil Panel where he stepped down for health reasons in December 2016. At the time of his death, Judge Perk served as a neutral at Judicate West. Throughout his career as a jurist, Judge Perk earned a reputation as a no-nonsense trial judge who valued promptness, preparedness and professionalism. Whether hearing high-profile matters like the 4-month Lloyd Charton trial or the pleas of a pro se litigant, he allowed parties to make their case, delivered clear and fair decisions, and treated all with respect and civility. He was a fine judge and an exceptional human being who never lost his love for family, friends and sports. For lawyers and non-lawyers alike, Judge Perk will stand as one of Orange County’s finest models of integrity, hard work, honesty and fairness. He leaves behind a loving family and a legal community that deeply mourns his passing.

Superintendent Dr. Stefanie Phillips welcomed and addressed over 300 business and community leaders during the annual Superintendent's State of the District Breakfast on Friday, October 12, 2018 at Godinez Fundamental High School. Dr. Phillips provided a key note address and was joined by members of the Board of Education to present an award to Project Youth OCBF for embodying the theme that she has identified during her tenure as critical to success in SAUSD: Connectedness.

Madres Unidas, a program of the Orange County Bar Foundation dba Project Youth OCBF, has been selected as a recipient of the Noble Viking Charities of Orange County Annual Holiday Food Box Event!

Every December, Noble Viking Charities, a California nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity, packs over 1,000 food boxes with holiday dinner and other necessities for needy Orange County families. Madres Unidas was chosen by the Noble Vikings to receive 45 of these food boxes to distribute to families in need, just in time for the holidays! Many of Project Youth OCBF’s program participants struggle in this economy, working two jobs just to make ends meet. Through the partnership with Noble Viking Charities, volunteers and family members will join together to help assemble the generous donations of food items such as a turkey or ham, fresh produce and canned goods for each box to provide dinner for up to 10 persons!

On Wednesday, August 1, Project SELF held its annual recognition dinner honoring Project SELF summer interns from the class of 2018. The event was held at the Hilton in Costa Mesa with over 275 guests in attendance. Project Youth OCBF and the Orange County Chapter Association of Legal Administrators hosted the event to recognize this year’s 56 Project SELF interns and to thank the law firms and businesses that supported and mentored the students. The keynote speaker was Mónica Ramírez Almadani, an attorney at Covington & Burling LLP.

On May 8, 2018, Project Youth OCBF celebrated the graduation of the 17th Annual Higher Education Mentoring Program’s Class of 2018.Twenty-seven graduates - 16 girls and 11 boys - graduated from the program after preparing for college for 18 months. All students will be attending college in the fall.

An ocean view was one of many dazzling features found at the home of Ygal and Sheila Sonenshine, the hosts of this year’s Spring Food & Wine Dinner. Amazing décor, stunning art, elegant table settings, and the warmest of welcomes were experienced at what can only be described as an enchanted evening.

Food & Wine Society members dined on delicious Italian food prepared by Valentino’s - Santa Monica, except for this one evening, Valentino’s came to Laguna Beach. In the splendor of the Sonenshines’ kitchen, magic was created; in the magnificent dining room, that magic was consumed. As if the night could get even better - and it did – the magical food was paired with exquisite wines selected by Wine Cellar Master Ygal Sonenshine from the Project Youth OCBF wine cellar. Ygal educated the group on the wines and had everyone in laughs with his witty remarks. Sheila, too, brought laughter to all with her words, speaking from the heart as she expressed her warmest of welcomes to all who dined at their table. Later that night, wine from the cellar was auctioned to raise funds to support Project Youth OCBF programs.

On March 14, 2018, the Orange County chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women, CREW-OC, hosted its 7th annual SPIRE Awards ceremony at the Samueli Theater in Costa Mesa, honoring local commercial real estate leaders for Superior Performance In Real Estate. Over 300 people turned out to celebrate the industry's achievements and honor the very best and brightest in Orange County. Steve T. Card, Senior Managing Partner at Savills Studley and Project Youth OCBF Board of Directors Member, was honored as Winner for "Superior Performance in Philanthropy." He was nominated by Project Youth for his outstanding philanthropic contributions including his role in securing Project Youth's new building pro bono, and the donation of his full commission in excess of $60,000 to fund the programs of Project Youth, detailed here. A press release regarding this year's SPIRE event can be viewed here.

Upcoming Events

Recent Events

Project Youth is pleased to recognize our current supporters. We are grateful to the many individuals, law firms, foundations and businesses that have chosen to support Project Youth during the past several years:

STAY IN TOUCH

SUPPORT PROJECT YOUTH

When you shop online at Amazon.com, please consider signing onto your Amazon via this link smile.amazon.com and OCBF will receive a .5% donation from your shopping spree. This is Amazon’s “AmazonSmile Program” to support non-profits. Thank you!